Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by tinear (A) on February 18, 2013 at 08:08:28

A group of boys brutally and repeatedly rape a young girl, leading to a further tragedy. The caretaker grandmother of one of the boys, a sixty-ish woman who almost desperately is trying to find meaning in (her) life through writing poetry, is pressured to make atonement, all the while dealing with worsening personal and physical problems.
For this year's Oscar performance, look no further than the actress who came out of retirement to portray the grandmother; formerly, she was a top star in Korean film, but she had been out of the loop for 15 years; her bravura effort is an acting lesson that Meryl Streep, among others, would do well to study. Simply astonishing.
The director, Lee Chong-dong, who has the earlier and highly regarded, "Oasis," to his credit, tells the story with beautiful imagery and subtle pacing, the unexpected tension growing almost imperceptibly until an ending that will surprise even the closest of observers.

Edits: 02/18/13